Archon

by: Electronic Arts

Publication date: 1983
Topics: ATRUtil k-file disks
Language: English
Item Size: 4.3M

Archon (1983)(Electronic Arts)(US)[k-file]

Developed by
Free Fall Associates
Released
1983
Also For
Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Commodore 64, FM-7, iPad, iPhone, Macintosh, NES, Palm OS, PC-88, PC Booter, Sharp X1, ZX Spectrum
Published by
Electronic Arts, Inc.

Perspective
Top-down
Pacing
Real-Time, Turn-based
Genre
Action, Strategy/Tactics

Description

Archon: The Light and the Dark is a strategic board game with some similarities to chess. Two sides, a light one and a dark one, consisting of 18 pieces each compete on a board divided into (9 by 9) squares. You win the game by having one of your units on each of the five powerpoint squares, by removing all opposing pieces from the board or by imprisoning the last remaining creature of the opposing side.

However, you can't just remove a piece from the board by landing on it. When two pieces clash, the outcome is decided in the battle arena during one-on-one real-time combat. If the real-time combat takes place on a dark square, the dark monster gets a health bonus (longer life bar). On a light square the light side gains an advantage. There are also some squares whose color changes over time (from afternoon, to dusk, to night, to dawn etc.), which adds an extra layer of strategy to the game.

Unlike chess the two sides are not identical. Both sides consist of mythological creatures. For example the light side has among others unicorns, valkyries and a djinni while the dark side features basilisks, banshees and manticores. The differences are not just cosmetic. Two special pieces are the light wizard & the dark sorceress, they can both cast magical spells like: imprison a unit on the board, shift the flow of time (change day/night cycle to your advantage), bring one unit back from the dead etc.

The different pieces have their own movement restrictions regarding the number of squares they're allowed to travel on the board and whether or not they can jump over other units (like the knight in chess). Units also behave different in combat; some units are faster than others, some use melee attacks while others fire projectiles.

Archon can be played with either one or two players. The NES version, which was released a few years after the other versions, has improved graphics for the real-time combat part. Each type of square has it's own colored background and the unit sprites are larger.

From Mobygames.com. Original Entry

Addeddate: 2014-06-14 17:31:19
Atarimania: http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-archon_5973.html
Emulator: a800
Emulator_ext: atr
Identifier: a8b_Archon_1983_Electronic_Arts_US_k_file
Location: United States
Manual: https://archive.org/details/agm_archon
https://archive.org/details/ArchonEAManual
Mobygames: http://www.mobygames.com/game/atari-8-bit/archon-the-light-and-the-dark
Mobygames_also_for: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Commodore 64, FM-7, iPad, iPhone, Macintosh, NES, Palm OS, PC-88, PC Booter, Sharp X1, ZX Spectrum
Mobygames_developed_by: Free Fall Associates
Mobygames_genre: Action, Strategy/Tactics
Mobygames_pacing: Real-Time, Turn-based
Mobygames_perspective: Top-down
Mobygames_published_by: Electronic Arts, Inc.
Mobygames_released: 1983
Scanner: Internet Archive Python library 0.6.5
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archon:_The_Light_and_the_Dark